Gareth Southgate explains tactical reason he selected Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher in England World Cup 2022 squad

GARETH SOUTHGATE has explained that Conor Gallagher’s “goal threat” and “pressing” is why he has been called-up for the World Cup.

The Chelsea midfielder was called-up ahead of James Ward-Prowse who had been a regular in the England squad with Southgate at the helm.

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Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has been selected for England’s World Cup squad.[/caption]

Gallagher excelled last season on loan at Crystal Palace but this season he has not been at the same level for Chelsea.

However, since the arrival of manager Graham Potter, his playing time has improved and he has now racked up a fair amount of minutes on the pitch this campaign.

The 22-year-old is a box-to-box midfielder and is capable of scoring goals and defending from the front, which is one of the reasons Southgate decided to reward him with a spot in Qatar.

The England boss said: “He is fantastic at pressing the ball and there will be moments when we need certain attributes.

“We feel he can be that sort of player, not as experienced but he has an impact and a goal threat.

“When you talk about the midfield you look to score and create and does a bit of all of that.

“We were really pleased with his reaction to being left out when he went with the U21s.

“His mentality was excellent. It is a great example that there is always a route back with us.”

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Gallagher is not the only Chelsea player to make it into the England squad as his team-mates Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling both receiving calls from Southgate.

However, his Trevor Chabolah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek miss out.

Whereas Blues defenders Ben Chilwell and Reece James were both ruled out of the tournament with fitness and injury concerns.

Gallagher will be competing with Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, and Mount for a spot in Southgate’s team.